Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.

[speedfreaksteve]

This is my realization after my first couple of batches made in my 35 gallon plastic drum. These were 15+ gallon batches to run in my 15.5 gallon keg pot still.

Just so much easier to have your fermenter hold a full batch. Instead of messing around with 3-4 5 gallon pails. Not to mention less cleaning and less floor space taken up. I wish I had done this in the first place.

[RedwoodHillBilly]

+1

A lazy man is an efficient man.

[Oldvine Zin]

+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor

Ovz

[GrassHopper]

+3
We are glad you saw the light! You have been saved......from the misery of the 5 gal shuffle.

[speedfreaksteve]

+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor

Ovz

Oh I think the 35 gallon should be more than adequate for my quantities.

I guess the main takeaway here is that it would be extremely rare that anyone has ever complained that their fermenter/still/boiler is too big and they wish they had a smaller one.

[RedwoodHillBilly]

+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor

Ovz

Oh I think the 35 gallon should be more than adequate for my quantities.

I guess the main takeaway here is that it would be extremely rare that anyone has ever complained that their fermenter/still/boiler is too big and they wish they had a smaller one.

Got that right. My mash tun/fermenter/thumper is a 55gal SS drum.

[Truckinbutch]

Agree with everybody .
I moved from buckets to 44 gallon Brutes . Aquarium heaters had a way of crudding up in sugar washes . SRD developed the idea of 32 gallon Brutes inside the 44 gallon Brutes . Lining the 32 gal with a clear 55 gal trash bag and gathering the top of the bag around a bleeder hose with tape . Loop the vent hose and co blocks the low point to prevent contamination . You can see what the ferment is doing at any point without risk of contamination . You can add heat to the water jacket without fouling the aquarium heater .
Finished ferments have gone for weeks before we got to them .
Rack , dip , strain and lift the bag out of the fermenter and repeat without having to clean the fermenter .
A 30 gallon total volume gives us 23-24 gallons of strained mash to strip run with the boiler and thumper both charged to the max .
Feel free to ask about what I may have been unclear about .

[Klein]

I moved up to a 32 gallon brute at the end of last summer, I would never go back to buckets.

[speedfreaksteve]

Agree with everybody .
I moved from buckets to 44 gallon Brutes . Aquarium heaters had a way of crudding up in sugar washes . SRD developed the idea of 32 gallon Brutes inside the 44 gallon Brutes . Lining the 32 gal with a clear 55 gal trash bag and gathering the top of the bag around a bleeder hose with tape . Loop the vent hose and co blocks the low point to prevent contamination . You can see what the ferment is doing at any point without risk of contamination . You can add heat to the water jacket without fouling the aquarium heater .
Finished ferments have gone for weeks before we got to them .
Rack , dip , strain and lift the bag out of the fermenter and repeat without having to clean the fermenter .
A 30 gallon total volume gives us 23-24 gallons of strained mash to strip run with the boiler and thumper both charged to the max .
Feel free to ask about what I may have been unclear about .

I really like this system. Minimizes contamination issues while saving time as well.

[nerdybrewer]

+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor

Ovz

Oh I think the 35 gallon should be more than adequate for my quantities.

I guess the main takeaway here is that it would be extremely rare that anyone has ever complained that their fermenter/still/boiler is too big and they wish they had a smaller one.

Got that right. My mash tun/fermenter/thumper is a 55gal SS drum.

I'm using a 100 gallon vessel at the moment.
Got to admit I've been looking at 250 gallon containers though.

[bbok]

Sadly boys, it turns out SIZE DOES MATTER

[Truckinbutch]

Sadly boys, it turns out SIZE DOES MATTER

Only if you know how to use what ya got .

[NZChris]

When I did my research, pre internet Youtube and forums, it was clear that to make the products that I wanted, I needed a fermenter at least three times what my boiler could take, so I didn't start off with the illusion that I could make conveniently sized quantities of quality product one ferment at a time. The fermenter I started with is still my most used fermenter, even though my current collection includes larger and smaller.

[speedfreaksteve]

When I did my research, pre internet Youtube and forums, it was clear that to make the products that I wanted, I needed a fermenter at least three times what my boiler could take, so I didn't start off with the illusion that I could make conveniently sized quantities of quality product one ferment at a time. The fermenter I started with is still my most used fermenter, even though my current collection includes larger and smaller.

I started many years ago with a 20L boiler/still and a 23L fermenter. At the time I thought it would be a great setup. Although now my boiler/still is around triple that size, and smaller than I'd like, if I could do it again I would've started with a 80L/20 gallon minimum as a "starter" size.

[ElectricEd]

I run 200 litre fermenters with 10 or so litres of space to allow for foaming.
4 x 47.5 litre stripping runs gives enough strip at around 50% to do a single spirit run.
The result is about 22-3 litres at 93%.
It saves a lot of cleaning and sanitising and reduces the total cost of the whole process.

[NZChris]

I started with a 33l pot, but soon built a 33l preheater to go with it. It can easily strip a 180l ferment in a day and uses bugger all heat and cooling water to do it.